Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-08-17
THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. >


Such is the Name Given to WONDERFUL
Well in Texas.
An Ell Paso correspondent OF the
ST. Louis Republican writes: About
ITO miles from FL Paso,. near
Sierra Blanca, on the iine OF
the Texas & Pacific Railroad,
there is a strange phenomenon
that has Just come to public notice.
The authority for the statements
about to be made Is ex-GoY. john U.
Brown, of Tennessee, receiver OF the
Texas & Pacific, who visited this
city a few days ago accompanied by
several officials of the road, including
Division Supt. Judy, in whose Jurls-
diction the phenomenon is located.
Gov. Brown and Supt. Judy told the
story to one or two persons here, and
it has Just come to q reporters ears.
About three years ago the Texas q
Pacific Railway Company undertook
to sink an arteslan well g. few miles
below Sierra Blanca, which is q little
hamlet ninety-fve miles east of El
Paso. The workmen put the pipe
down about six hundred feet when
suddenly an underground cavern was
struck, the drill dropping about six
feet, and g. current OF air rushed up
the pipe. Drilling ceased and the
well was abandoned the six hundred
feet of pipe remaining in the ground
and giving q connection between the
surface of the earth and the strange
subterranean cavity q quarter of q
mile beneath.
The phenomenon did not at that
time attract the attention of anyone
sufficiently interested to investigate.
Recently, however, Supt. Judy's at
tention was called to it, and his per-
sonal examination and inquiries have
developed peculiar facts and testI-
mony about the wonderful well. Gov.
Brown stopped to see it on his way
here. Not many people live near the
we'll, but those who do reside in the
neighborhood of it are thoroughly &C.
Quainted with it ever since it was
abandoned three years ago. The peo-
pie near by have been in the habit of
going and sitting about the we'll in
summer to enjoy the cool, invigorat-
ing air that rushes up the pipe. One
of the strangest things is the fact that
the current of air Gibbs and flows like
the ocean tides. From about 1O:15
A. NJ. till 1918 P. NJ. current of air
rushes out of the pipe with q sound
that resembles the noise made
by q locomotive "blowing off
steam," and so loud that it can be
heard for forty or fifty yards. At
1915 P. NJ. the overflow air ceases
and strong suction sets in which
lasts for the next twelve hours, this
ebb and flow continuing day after day,
and it has been observed by horse
men that whenever they get in the
neigborhood of this we'll strong mag
netic forces are felt and sparks are
given off if the horses name is
touched.
Recently man from Sierra Blanca
was sitting close to the well, and on
taking out his pocket knife found a
nail which he had IN his pocket cling
ing to the knife. He held the knife in
the current of the air and found the
magnetic property was greatly IN
creased. Several weeks ago Supt.
Judy held his pocket knife in the cur
rent of air for four minutes and the
knife is strongly magnetized from the
effect. The outfowing current of air
is believed to possess remarkable cur
ative properties. Its efficiency is to
be tested by experiments upon cases
Of paralysis and other diseases. The
people who live near the well call it the
"Fountain Of Youth"